Gorontalo Launches “PENTAGON” to Drive Data-Based Governance

Gorontalo Province has taken a significant step towards data-driven governance with the launch of Open Data Gorontalo “PENTAGON”, an open data platform developed with Australian Government support to strengthen planning and public service delivery across the province.

Good data is the foundation of good governance. Without it, resources can miss the people who need them most.

In the absence of data and evidence, schools get built where populations are declining; health services get stretched in areas of growing need. Across Gorontalo, data has long been fragmented across different provincial government agencies, collected in different formats and rarely shared. That made it harder for planners to see the full picture and make informed decisions. The launch of “PENTAGON”, Gorontalo’s new open data platform, is designed to change that.

Governor of Gorontalo Gusnar Ismail officially launched “PENTAGON” at the Dulohupa Hall, Governor’s Office, on 18 May 2026. The event brought together senior officials, including Gita Kamath, Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, and Maliki, Deputy for Community Empowerment, Population, and Employment at the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), alongside provincial government leaders, academics, community representatives and members of the media.

“PENTAGON” is part of a broader national effort to improve government data collection, sharing and use. Under Indonesia’s One Data policy, regional governments are encouraged to standardise their data systems so that information can flow more easily across agencies and levels of government, making planning more consistent and public services more responsive.

Governor Gusnar emphasised that good data governance is the foundation of effective regional development and that its importance goes beyond administration.

‘Building strong data systems is ultimately about building trust,’ he said. ‘When data is collected through good mechanisms, managed in an integrated manner, and used appropriately, the policies that emerge are more accurate and targeted at addressing the needs of the community.’

Governor Gusnar added that well-managed data is a strategic tool that helps the government understand economic potential, anticipate social change and plan more effectively. “PENTAGON” is designed to bring that vision to life as a provincial platform that connects and aligns data across multiple levels of government, from villages to the province, into a single authoritative data source for policy and planning.

Gita Kamath, Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, said the launch marked more than the creation of a digital platform.

Addressing the ceremony, Kamath said “the launch of this platform is not just a technical matter; it is the beginning of data governance that is transparent, integrated, directed, structured and interconnected.”

Kamath commended the collaboration between the Gorontalo Provincial Government and its partners in strengthening regional data governance, a partnership she described as an important step in Gorontalo’s development.

Maliki, Deputy for Community Empowerment, Population and Employment at Bappenas, said that while data is central to achieving development targets, making effective use of it remains a challenge.

‘Data tells stories,’ Maliki said. ‘From data, we can see changes in community behaviour, development challenges and the direction of policies that the government must prepare.’

Gorontalo’s own population data tells that story clearly. Shifts in marriage age patterns between 2010 and 2015, for example, led to delayed births, with significant implications for social planning.

“PENTAGON” also connects with SEPAKAT, a national platform developed to help governments analyse poverty, inequality and socioeconomic conditions to support more targeted policymaking.

Petrarca Karetji, SKALA’s Team Leader said the support reflected SKALA’s broader commitment to helping governments build the data foundations needed for effective service delivery. ‘SKALA supports the strengthening of regional data systems so that government has an accurate basis for policymaking,’ he said. ‘However, SKALA doesn’t manage the data in “PENTAGON”. The data is owned and managed by the Gorontalo Provincial Government.’

Petrarca said “PENTAGON” is expected to become the Gorontalo Provincial Government’s authoritative data hub, providing a sustainable foundation for the province’s One Data system.

PENTAGON’s development was supported by SKALA (Synergy and Collaboration for the Acceleration of Basic Services), the Australia–Indonesia Partnership Program. The launch marks a significant step in Gorontalo’s commitment to evidence-based regional development, grounded in data that the government owns, manages and uses for the benefit of its communities.